Campervan Rental Holiday to Ayers Rock
Uluru or Ayers Rock is in the Northern Territory of Australia some 450 kilometres (280 miles) southwest of Alice Springs. We started our campervan rental holiday to Ayers Rock there, after flying in from Darwin. We could have also have joined the Ghan passenger rail service for the first leg of its journey to Adelaide. South Australia’s state capital is 1,979 kilometres (1,851 miles) distant to the south. But we wanted to be able to gaze down on the breath-taking wetlands of Kakadu for which this part of the Northern Territory is renowned.
Campervan Rental Holiday to Ayers Rock
Alice Springs is a sleepy little town that owes its presence to the discovery of alluvial gold in the 1880’s. It is the ‘Aboriginal Art Capital’ of Australia. Because it houses some amazing exhibits that made us think long and hard about those so-called primitive people. In fact, they intrigued us so much we spent the night at a local caravan park with full amenities.
Driving from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock
Australia is a big country, we realised as we embarked on the 460 kilometre (285 mile) drive first down Stuart Highway, and then turning west along Route 4. We stuck to the main route, although having a 4×4 meant we could take detours into wilder spaces. And moreover, view kangaroos and camels of which there are a surprising number.
We were delighted to discover a superb tourist facility at Yulara when we arrived. This is relatively modern, having established in the 1970’s. This was to relieve tourist pressure on the natural environment around Ayers Rock itself. The caravan park is superb, there’s no other way to describe it. There are super swimming pools to cool off in, and shops with everything we required.
Visiting Ayres Rock Quite Early in the Morning
We took the shuttle to Ayers Rock while the morning was still fairly cool. Our three-day admission passes cost A$25 each, and believe me the rangers checked several times. We approached the foot of the rock with a sense of awe, for it is sacred to the Anangu indigenous people. However, we chose not to climb it, as the original owners have requested visitors not to do so. We did not want to trespass on their holy place they call Uluru.
We stayed in the caravan park for three nights and two days, before returning the motorhome rental to Alice Springs. Sure, it was a long journey. But it was worth it for the way we opened up our minds to other values. We slept close to the stars every night in the side tent of our campervan. We were happy we stayed away from tourists overnighting in hotels and motels. These seemed strangely artificial to us, perhaps because we felt we were closer to nature in our home on wheels.